FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE CLINIC IN MEDINA OHIO

The days are getting longer, the birds are chirping, flowers are starting to bud….spring is here. For some this is amazing, but for others, this time of year causes both fear and agony. Why? Allergy season has officially begun. Now its months of dealing with itchy skin, watery eyes, breathing difficulties, headaches, sinus pressure, runny noses, and sneezing….time to buy stock in Kleenex! Most think that they are stuck in this never-ending year after year pattern, but that doesn’t have to be the case. It’s sad, but in 1 st world countries allergies are one of the most common cause of chronic illness with nearly 40% of people suffering from at least one allergic complaint. Just in the US, allergies account for $3 billion spent by sufferers searching for some form of relief. So, what exactly is an allergy anyway? Simply put, it is an overreaction by your immune system to something that is usually considered harmless. These irritants can be eaten, touched or inhaled...

The world concussion is kind of like the word heroin. It’s this horrible thing that’s happening everywhere in our culture. We hear about it affecting many people but we have no idea what to do about it. Now there is a solution! It means weeks off from playing a favorite sport, let alone reflex, speech, muscle coordination, memory, balance and confusion issues all affecting the individual. The medical definition of a concussion is a clinical syndrome characterized by immediate and transient alteration in brain function, including alteration of mental status and level of consciousness, resulting from mechanical force or trauma. It is estimated that there are more than 300,000 sports related concussions each year in the United States and that the possibility of having a concussion is around 19% each year of play. The statistics are especially high in sports like football, where it is estimated 34% of athletes have had one concussion and 20% multiple concussions. Adding to this is the...

Food faddists and self-proclaimed experts with a modicum of nutritional knowledge will suggest that we should alkalize our diets.  So we should all become vegetarians, right? WRONG Many well-meaning people are SO confused about this topic.  I had a poor woman come into my office last week who currently had metastatic breast cancer telling me that she only eats alkaline and neutral foods – on this diet, she was eating lots of beans, vegetables, fruits, and sugars.  She was terrified of meat and animal fat as she was concerned about the acidity.  Meanwhile, she was clearly wasting away from a lack of protein and fat in her diet, and regardless her saliva was still extremely acidic. Please, please, don’t be fooled by the alkaline / acid myth. The issue of acidity and alkalinity is important to the body.  Frequently when someone has cancer and they look at the ph of their saliva they see that they are acid.  The obvious solution – eat an alkaline diet...

Living in stress is no way to live. When we’re stressed our body is in survival mode.  It means that our bodies are putting aside all the niceties of life to try to survive. Chances are, you're probably living in stress right now. What with the whole world pandemic and coming economic disaster.  Perhaps you are watching people around you get sick or you're stressed about your finances or your job.  Maybe it’s all of it.   This stress is draining your body of vital energy.  In essence you are using your future health to handle todays problem.  It’s sort of like using up your savings account.  It’s not sustainable. When you're overly stressed for too long changes in the body and mind happen.  As your stress hormone (cortisol) is up too long you eventually gain weight in the belly, have your digestion weaken and become more inflamed. As your energy lowers you slip into anxiety, depressant and despai...